Coffee Break
by gabiabi
Summary: Scully's cancer has gone but so has something else - she wants one of them back.


Title: Coffee Break  
Author: Gabiabi  
Rating: G  
Classification: MSR fluff  
Summary: Her cancer's gone but so has something else. Scully wants one of them back.  
Spoilers: Redux II sort of  
Disclaimer: Any characters you recognise are not mine  
  
Author's notes: I loved all the touching the pair did when she was sick. But then she got better and it went away so I thought I'd fix that.  
  
Feedback welcome

Dana Scully stared at the computer file she was working on without reading anything she had written, seeing instead the reflection of her partner's lovable face smiling at her. She half-smiled back and then realised that he couldn't actually see her face so she turned her head slightly towards him.  
  
"What's up Scully? You're looking down."  
  
"Nothing Mulder, I just..."  
  
"Just?....what is it?"  
  
"It doesn't matter, we have work to do."  
  
"Let's go for coffee. Take a break."  
  
"Mulder, there's too much to do. Skinner will kill me if I don't have this report finished by tomorrow and it's nowhere near done."  
  
"Mmmm...think about that wonderful coffee aroma. It's beckoning me towards it. Can you hear it calling to you Scully? ...'coffee time'"  
  
"Mulder quit it."  
  
"Coffee mmmmm."  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"C'mon Scully, we'll be gone for half an hour max. Pleeaase?"  
  
"Alright, but you're buying."  
  
"Why of course princess."  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"Okay, I'll behave properly. Where do you want to go?"  
  
The two of them made their way towards the elevator discussing the different coffee shops where they could go. Mulder's hand rested in its usual position on her back and he gently guided her into the lift when the doors finally opened. They bantered back and forth on their way along the street and Scully rolled her eyes when Mulder wanted to order a whole chocolate cake for a snack. They both got their coffees and sat side by side on one of the bench seats in the cafe. While Scully sipped her coffee Mulder watched, concerned about the sad glint in her eyes. When she put her cup down he grasped one of her hands lightly in his and moved closer to her on the seat.  
  
"What is it Scully? What's the matter?"  
  
"I don't know. I've just not been feeling too great recently."  
  
"Is it the... cancer, has it come back?"  
  
"No! No, that's not what this is about. Well maybe it is in a way..."  
  
"How? ... Scully?"  
  
"I...I was ready to die Mulder"  
  
Mulder's eyes dropped to the floor and he pulled away from her, thinking that he maybe didn't want to hear what was wrong after all. She saw the pain he was trying to conceal and, reaching out to comfort him, continued her sentence quickly.  
  
"I don't mean I wanted to die or that I wish that I had Mulder. It's just...I had to prepare myself for the inevitable and I did. I had prepared to die - not because I wanted to but because I knew I was going to. I was scared but I knew the truth and now...to be sitting here. It's just...I've still not adjusted completely to the fact that I'm going to live."  
  
"It's understandable...I still don't believe it but here you are sitting next to me drinking coffee."  
  
"Yes, here we are drinking coffee. Mulder...where did the 'we' go? The 'we' that was there while I was ill?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I...when I was ill you were always there, you popped round just to check on me. You gave me your hand to squeeze when I was in pain and held me when I was scared. I miss that...I want it back."  
  
Now it was Scully's eyes that dropped and her voice faded to a whisper as she finished her sentence. She was scared that Mulder hadn't noticed the change, scared that he had wanted the change and didn't want the closeness back. Mulder looked at her with astonished eyes, not quite believing she had said what she did. His arm snaked round her shoulders and pulled her tightly to his chest, still unable to speak, to tell her that he wanted it too. She burrowed into his chest and let a sob escape, unsure about what was happening and terrified that he might reject her. He stroked her hair gently and then pulled away so that he could look into her eyes and she into his.  
  
"Me too, me too."  
  
"What? ... really?"  
  
"Really. I thought you wanted your space so I gave you it. When you were sick I was so scared that you were going to go when I wasn't there, when I couldn't say goodbye and hold you one last time. I was so..."  
  
"Ssshh Mulder. It's okay. Don't get yourself upset, that's all passed now. I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Oh Scully. I'm so glad, I didn't know..."  
  
"Neither did I. I thought that you were just being you, caring. When you stopped I thought you wanted to go back, back to being just partners."  
  
"We were never 'just partners' Scully. We could never be 'just partners'."  
  
"What are we then...what do want us to be?"  
  
"Um...Friends, best friends. The closest two people can get without becoming one person."  
  
"Not quite the closest..."  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"We could be closer...if you wanted..."  
  
"If I wanted... you mean you would want..."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Then I revise my previous answer...Scully you're my everything."  
  
Mulder enveloped Scully in his arms and cradled her close to his chest. He couldn't believe what was happening, what was going to happen. Scully looked up at him with her big blue eyes and, reaching her arms around his neck, pulled his mouth to hers for their very first kiss.  
  
"Your coffee's going cold."  
  
"I don't care. I've got something better to keep me warm now."  
  
"You know we need to get back right? We've got that report you were talking about earlier to do."  
  
"I know, I just wish..."  
  
"Tell you what. We go back now and get the report finished then tonight we can continue this. Dinner?"  
  
"Dinner."  
  
The pair put their coats back on and Scully waited at the door while Mulder paid the bill. Being chivalrous he opened the door for her and followed her through, his hand resting on her shoulder now instead of her back. She snuggled into him and put her arm under his trench coat and around his waist. They made their way back to the Hoover building in comfortable silence but, just as they turned the corner, Scully stopped. Mulder looked down at her wondering what was wrong and, stretching up on her tiptoes, she brushed a gentle kiss across his lips and caressed his cheek with her free hand.  
  
"I dreamt about this happening for so long but I never dared to imagine that it would really come true. I also didn't ever dream that all it would take was a coffee break.  
  
"Just think - you weren't even going to come."  
  
"So glad I did. So glad."  
  
"Me too."  
  
The end 


End file.
